Santos set for 1st court appearance after pleading not guilty to 13 counts
The embattled congressman is facing fraud and other charges.
Embarrassed Congressman George Santos will appear in court Friday morning for his first appearance since pleading guilty last month to a 13-count indictment that charges him with fraud, money laundering and burglary. steal public funds.
The New York Republican congressman, who has denied wrongdoing, is scheduled to appear Friday noon for a status conference hearing before US District Judge Joanna Seybert in Long Island.
Friday’s trial comes a week after it was revealed that Santos’ father and aunt had secured a $500,000 bond for him, according to unsealed court documents in the face of the objection. of parliamentarians.
ABC News’ Rachel Scott was the first to report that Santos’ bond was guaranteed by Gercino dos Santos Jr. and Elma Santos Preven.
Under the terms of the bond, none of them were required to provide any money for Santos’ release – only financially responsible “if the defendant failed to comply” with the terms of the payment. freedom for him.
Representative George Santos attends a session of the United States House of Representatives at the Capitol in Washington, DC Santos, January 4, 2023.
Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images, FILE
Santos insists that he opposes the release of his name for fear of harassment.
“I can handle that; I ran for public office,” he told reporters. “They weren’t; they were private citizens.”
Santos, who has been accused of lying about much of his employment record, education and family history, has admitted that he lied about part of his background while running for Congress. .
He is also facing an investigation by the House Ethics Committee, which issued a rare letter last week saying the committee had issued more than 30 subpoenas and more than 40 self-defence requests. willing to provide information in their investigation.
The panel also said it has expanded its investigation to look at allegations of unemployment insurance fraud.
